爱
Character learning workspace

ài · to love

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 2.0 · Level 1HSK 3.0 · Level 1Frequency #130
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 爱

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 爱 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Writing notes

Shape and proportion

10Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Top-bottomCharacter structure

Keep the upper section balanced above the lower section.

爫Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 爱 writing sheet

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 爱

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

àiWords pronounced ài
Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 爱 sits in each complete thought.

Nà shì wǒ de àihào.那是我的爱好。

That's my hobby.

Source: Tatoeba #3658530 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā de àihào shì huà yǒu huā de tú.他的爱好是画有花的图。

His hobby is painting pictures of flowers.

Source: Tatoeba #718401 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ de zhí yè zhèng shì wǒ de àihào.我的职业正是我的爱好。

My profession is my hobby.

Source: Tatoeba #10713324 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā ài de shì nǐ, bú shì wǒ.她爱的是你,不是我。

It's you that she loves, not me.

Source: Tatoeba #2357181 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā ài de bú shì nǐ, ér shì wǒ.她爱的不是你,而是我。

It's not you that she loves, it's me.

Source: Tatoeba #1361994 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ shēng lái jiù shì wèi le ài nǐ de.我生来就是为了爱你的。

I was born to love you.

Source: Tatoeba #472332 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 爱 in context

  1. Say ài, then recall the core meaning: to love.
  2. Write all 10 strokes while keeping the top-bottom balanced.
  3. Use it in 爱好 (ài hào), meaning “to like”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 爱 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.